Project Phoenix
by D'raekmus
Summary: Due to recent incidents, Captain Testarossa has authorized the search for reliable security detail. But, the man she gets is someone she did not expect. He smokes, drinks, and uses unauthorized weapons. Yet he maintains a perfect record. Is there more to him than meets the eye, or is it simply luck?


Hey, all! This is a test for a new story of mine. I recently found this anime, and, I must say, I do enjoy it. Best of all, the concept of the Whispered has given me inspiration to write up a fanfic with one of my more obscure characters taking part. Enjoy this little story!

* * *

_WARNING! SUBJECT HAS BREACHED CONTAINMENT! UNABLE TO RESTRAIN! TRANQUILIZERS ARE INEFFECTIVE!_

"Deploy the ASes! Contain the test subject!"

_ARM SLAVES DEPLOYED! ATTEMPTING TO CONTAIN SUBJECT!_

An explosion, followed by creaking metal.

_ALERT! ARM SLAVES HAVE BEEN TERMINATED! SUBJECT IS ATTEMPTING TO ESCAPE THROUGH THE AIR VENTS!_

"Follow him! Make sure he never leaves!"

_AFFIRMATIVE!_

* * *

"Our objective is to eliminate that facility. Casualties must be kept to a minimum. Captain's orders." Melissa, a rough-and-tough woman in her twenties, relayed to her two teammates.

Sousuke, a grim-faced teen of roughly sixteen years of age, looked over the tactical maps.

"Thirty Savages... as well as several anti infantry tanks... Just what are they hiding there?"

"According to this little report, there seems to be some high-level research going on there." Kurz, a blonde-haired man of mixed German and Japanese descent, commented, flipping through the pages lazily.

Sousuke raised an eyebrow.

"A weapons factory?"

Melissa shrugged.

"Perhaps. Mithril's intelligence noticed a massive power draw at 2100 hours last night. Whatever's going on there, it's not bound to be good."

The other two pilots nodded.

"Understood. Let's move out."

* * *

Back in their Arm Slaves, the elite trio of MITHRIL closed in on the research facility, using cloud cover to mask their approach.

The ground below stood in the perpetual frost of the Siberian region. Snow glistened upon the evergreen pines, as lean wolves darted through the tundra below.

"What is it with these people and freezing places? Why can't they be anywhere warmer, like Tahiti." Kurz complained, looking dejectedly at the barren wastelant.

"Alright, we should break cover in a few seconds. Prepare your ECS to cloak our landing." Sousuke commanded, loosing the parachute on his machine.

"This is Urzu 2. Now breaking cloud cover and – Oh my God!" Melissa gasped, as the three AS units broke through, to the facility below.

Or, rather... what was left. Much of the facility was obliterated. Many of the Savage units were being used to contain the fire.

"Destroyed... From the inside..." Kurz observed.

"Just what were they working on..." Melissa wondered, as the remaining AS units ignored the trio, even as they touched down. The Savages continued to try to put out the fire, as a tankard exploded, spewing forth a plume of smoke.

"They're ignoring us... Something's not right here..." Sousuke pointed out, as the group suddenly turned, opening fire upon the Mithril units.

"Damn! Why did you have to point that out, Urzu 7?" Kurz called out, retaliating against the units.

* * *

"Sir, please wait!" A scientist cried out, locking a security door, "Think of your strength! Your reflexes! You can even take a bullet without a problem!" he whimpered, as an enraged man blew the bulkhead off the track, and enter. His eyes reflected only pure hatred and anger, a malice that strikes fear into any who looked upon those eyes.

"I don't give a damn! This is too extreme! Haven't you ever thought of the consequences!" he roared, his voice shaking the entire room, as he pointed a revolver at the scientist's head.

"Please..." he begged. "Think of the potential. We could save lives! We could make people better!"

The man spat upon the ground.

"Better? How? By giving them a cursed half-life? By making them neither dead nor living, forcing them to be horrible perversions for the rest of their unnatural life? How is such a thing better?" he growled, his voice so low, the entire room vibrated from the tone.

"We could... We could..." the researcher stuttered, before lowering his face.

"I don't know... You're right, sir... this kind of thing is too extreme. Please..." he grabbed the man's revolver, pushing the barrel into his own head.

"End my life now! I will take all knowledge of the project to the grave! We tried to be like gods... and we weren't ready..."

The man frowned, as his malicious eyes filled with pity.

"Please... forgive me, old friend!" the researcher choked,

"I end your life here... May you find peace for one who no longer can through your hand..." he said, before pulling the trigger, and spilling the researcher's blood on the floor.

He leaned down, picking up a small device. The man casually balanced it in his hand, before opening the cylinder, revealing a large red button.

"It's time to end this, once and for all. I will join you soon, my friend." he said, pressing the button.

* * *

"Urzu 7! This doesn't look good!" Kurz began, as Melissa jumped in.

"The reactor inside that facility's gone critical! It's about to blow! We're pulling out!" she shouted, as alarms began blaring across the entire complex.

The three fled, taking down any enemy unit in their way as they neared the perceived safe zone, the facility's reactor core suddenly erupting in a massive cloud of radiation.

"Damn! It's going to take months for them to clean that up! Glad I'm not part of the Commies!" Kurz commented, snickering at the unfortunate incident.

"Pity we couldn't find out about what they were working on... Mithril would have valued that kind of intel." Sousuke commented, as they prepared to leave.

* * *

As the reactor continued to burn away, the rubble shifted, as a man shrugged off the masonry.

Brushing off the ruins, he coughed, before looking up at the sky.

"Damn it! Is this my destiny? To continue to exist? As a monstrous abomination?" he let out a halfhearted laugh, as a new thought crossed his mind.

"Is this the beginning... of something new?"


End file.
